Hamlet

Hamlet description

Great drama never grows old. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet somewhere between 1599 and 1601 and it has thrilled audiences ever since. First produced on the South Bank way back in in 1976 and constantly on stage somewhere or other around the world, this version of the ever-popular tragedy is billed as sharp, stylish, darkly funny, fearless and contemporary. Hamlet is played by the brilliant Olivier-winning Sri Lankan actor Hiran Abeysekera, who made his professional stage debut with the English Touring Theatre in 2011 playing Valere in Tartuffe, the start of an extraordinary career that saw him win the Olivier for Best Actor for his role in the stage adaptation of Life of Pi as well as playing numerous roles in Shakespeare plays with the RSC.

The drama is directed by the National’s new Deputy Artistic Director Robert Hastie (Standing at the Sky’s Edge, Operation Mincemeat). The 2024 Ian Charleson Award-winner and 2025 Ian Charleson Award nominee Francesca Mills plays Ophelia, with Alistair Petrie as Claudius. Ayesha Dharker plays Gertrude, Geoffrey Streatfeild is Polonius, and Hari MacKinnon plays Rosencrantz, with Phil Cheadle as Marcellus, Siobhan Redmond as First Player, and Tom Glenister as Laertes. The set and costume designer is Ben Stones, with lighting designer Jessica Hung Han Yun, sound designer Alexandra Faye Braithwaite, and casting directors Alastair Coomer CDG and Martin Poile CDG completing the creative team. If you only see one Shakespeare play this year, make it Hamlet!

Playing at Lyttelton - National Theatre (venue info)

Performance Times for Hamlet